Leyth
New member
Alright, I started this build last week and have kept track of things pretty well. I thought I would share them so that you can enjoy the pictures or for future new people that may build a similar tank. Feel free to PM me with questions if you're new and I will be more than happy to help you the best I can. Keep in mind that I have lurked forums for years and still don't know much.
So, it started with my friend having a 5.5 gallon long tank he used for fresh water and he didn't want it because he was moving. I took it off his hands and cleaned it extensively.
How I cleaned a freshwater tank for salt water use:
I read many about many different ways to clean a fresh water tank and for each one, I would find a comment that would disagree. I decided to just wash it with tap water and wipe it down real good with paper towels. I also, got some bleach, used one cap full of bleach and 10 caps full of water and wiped it down with that solution. Then I rinsed with tap water and let it sit near the window for days.
So, then I followed some build threads on nano-reef, especially the featured tanks of the month. There is so much inspiration to be found in some of those build threads. It ranges from hands off approaches to very involved ones which lead to incredible tanks if people know what they are doing. I don't really know which approach I am taking, I guess trying to be involved as possible.
I found that the hardest part for a beginner was getting the tank wet. Once it's wet, you won't neglect it, but if it's not wet, then you'll probably feel like you're not ready. I finally got over that hump and I used this shopping list:
Ai Prime
Ai Prime 12" Flex Arm
AquaClear 20 with the stock media that comes with it
Eheim 50W heater
Hydor Koralia 240 (if you're copying my build, make sure you read further about this)
Red Sea Coral Pro Salt
Deep Water Aquatics ATC Refractometer
API Saltwater Master Test Kit
5lbs Fiji Live Rock
Nature's Ocean Samoa Pink Live Sand
Premixed water from LFS
Two Little Fishes NanoMag
TAAM 2 Piece Coral Feeder
Waiting for:
Blue Ocean Corals Coral Rx Concentrate Dip
Hikari Usa Marine S pellets
API Reef Master Test Kit
Rio Plus 50 Aqua Pump - 69 GPH
The reason for the second powerhead is because I think I am going to replace the koralia 240. I think it is too strong for this tank. I can't find who's build I copied or what I read to give me the idea to get this powerhead, but I think it is too much for this tank. I guess I will use it for mixing salt. I don't have much experience with powerheads, but I really liked the koralia 240.
I put everything in 6-9-2016 and by 6-13-2016 I started getting brown algae and my water parameters were:
PH: 8.0
AM: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 15ish
On 6-15-2016 Nitrates went down to 5ish so I decided to go ahead and stock. I ordered a clean up crew on 6-14 and that arrives 6-17-2016. I got a lot of green lights to go ahead and add fish so I went ahead and picked up a yellow watchman goby, a pistol tiger shrimp, and a small zoa frag. My goal now is to just keep these guys happy and maintain stability, add the clean up crew tomorrow and just monitor things very closely before deciding to add anything else. I already feel like I may have added too much at once. I really only wanted the pistol shrimp but he was already paired with the goby and I didn't wanna separate them.
I will make a second post under this talking about the AI Prime and providing my current settings.
So, it started with my friend having a 5.5 gallon long tank he used for fresh water and he didn't want it because he was moving. I took it off his hands and cleaned it extensively.
How I cleaned a freshwater tank for salt water use:
I read many about many different ways to clean a fresh water tank and for each one, I would find a comment that would disagree. I decided to just wash it with tap water and wipe it down real good with paper towels. I also, got some bleach, used one cap full of bleach and 10 caps full of water and wiped it down with that solution. Then I rinsed with tap water and let it sit near the window for days.
So, then I followed some build threads on nano-reef, especially the featured tanks of the month. There is so much inspiration to be found in some of those build threads. It ranges from hands off approaches to very involved ones which lead to incredible tanks if people know what they are doing. I don't really know which approach I am taking, I guess trying to be involved as possible.
I found that the hardest part for a beginner was getting the tank wet. Once it's wet, you won't neglect it, but if it's not wet, then you'll probably feel like you're not ready. I finally got over that hump and I used this shopping list:
Ai Prime
Ai Prime 12" Flex Arm
AquaClear 20 with the stock media that comes with it
Eheim 50W heater
Hydor Koralia 240 (if you're copying my build, make sure you read further about this)
Red Sea Coral Pro Salt
Deep Water Aquatics ATC Refractometer
API Saltwater Master Test Kit
5lbs Fiji Live Rock
Nature's Ocean Samoa Pink Live Sand
Premixed water from LFS
Two Little Fishes NanoMag
TAAM 2 Piece Coral Feeder
Waiting for:
Blue Ocean Corals Coral Rx Concentrate Dip
Hikari Usa Marine S pellets
API Reef Master Test Kit
Rio Plus 50 Aqua Pump - 69 GPH
The reason for the second powerhead is because I think I am going to replace the koralia 240. I think it is too strong for this tank. I can't find who's build I copied or what I read to give me the idea to get this powerhead, but I think it is too much for this tank. I guess I will use it for mixing salt. I don't have much experience with powerheads, but I really liked the koralia 240.
I put everything in 6-9-2016 and by 6-13-2016 I started getting brown algae and my water parameters were:
PH: 8.0
AM: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 15ish
On 6-15-2016 Nitrates went down to 5ish so I decided to go ahead and stock. I ordered a clean up crew on 6-14 and that arrives 6-17-2016. I got a lot of green lights to go ahead and add fish so I went ahead and picked up a yellow watchman goby, a pistol tiger shrimp, and a small zoa frag. My goal now is to just keep these guys happy and maintain stability, add the clean up crew tomorrow and just monitor things very closely before deciding to add anything else. I already feel like I may have added too much at once. I really only wanted the pistol shrimp but he was already paired with the goby and I didn't wanna separate them.
I will make a second post under this talking about the AI Prime and providing my current settings.
